BAZI KNOWLEDGE BASE
Leading and Following Enclosure: Positions around the Year Reference
Leading and Following Enclosure places the natal Year at the center and examines the pillars on either side. Around Jia-Zi, the source calls Bing-Yin/Ding-Mao leading and Ren-Xu/Gui-Hai following, preferring a farther leader and nearer follower. These are positional terms, not necessarily years before and after the birth.
Which positions surround Jia-Zi in the example?
Signed distances in the forward cycle make the source’s orientation clear. This is a local sequence, not a birth chart.
| Relative to Jia-Zi | Pillar | Source role |
|---|---|---|
| 2 steps backward | Ren-Xu (壬戌) | Farther follower |
| 1 step backward | Gui-Hai (癸亥) | Nearer follower |
| Center | Jia-Zi (甲子) | Reference |
| 2 steps forward | Bing-Yin (丙寅) | Nearer leader |
| 3 steps forward | Ding-Mao (丁卯) | Farther leader |
Why does another source reading prefer Bing-Yin over the farther Ding-Mao?
Distance is only one condition. Zi/Mao has punishment; Bing is Jia’s Eating God (a traditional role associated with creativity, expression and enjoyment), and Yin is both Jia’s Lu and the Horse derived from Zi. The alternative reading weighs those relationships too.
The passage also discusses Ding-Mao/Ren-Xu, with both Ding/Ren stem and Mao/Xu branch combination. An invoked pillar must remain an invocation if absent, rather than being inserted into the birth chart.
Do the complete examples all use the same simple distance rule?
All three pass calendar-pair checks. On branch distance alone, the second and third have one step on either side, unlike the first. The appended examples also use Lu, Officer (the role family that controls the birth-day element, often interpreted through rules and demands) and combination relationships.
| Source chart | Actual neighbors of Year branch | Distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Ji-You (己酉), Gui-You (癸酉), Wu-Shen (戊申), Ren-Zi (壬子) | Day Shen −1; Hour Zi +3 | A near/far branch contrast |
| Gui-Hai (癸亥), Ren-Xu (壬戌), Gui-Wei (癸未), Ren-Zi (壬子) | Month Xu −1; Hour Zi +1 | The source’s distant-leader label needs more than branch distance |
| Ji-Si (己巳), Geng-Wu (庚午), Yi-Mao (乙卯), Geng-Chen (庚辰) | Month Wu +1; Hour Chen −1 | Both Geng stems combine with Yi Day; distance is not the whole account |
Which further relations appear in the second and third examples?
The second chart’s exposed stems are all Ren/Gui. Ren’s Lu at Hai and Gui’s Lu at Zi are both present. That is not an all-same-decade chart: Gui-Wei Day belongs to Jia-Xu and Ren-Zi Hour to Jia-Chen.
For Yi Day in the third, both Geng stems are Officer and form Yi/Geng combinations. Combination alone does not prove transformation to Metal; the favorable enclosure account does not replace that separate check.
How does simple enclosure differ from the broader leading/following account?
A partial example uses Xin-Hai Year, Geng-Zi Month and Wu-Xu Day: Zi and Xu surround Hai by one branch on either side. Year/Month pairing is compatible, but the Hour is missing.
This neighboring-branch enclosure differs from complete-pillar distance and Officer/noble variants. Ask for the reference, actual positions and chosen rule rather than accepting the name as a complete explanation.
Continue reading
- Special patterns overview
Distinguish local configurations, whole-chart methods and source cases.
- One-Decade Enclosure: defined decade endpoints
Compare decade endpoints with surrounding positions.
- Officer and actual authority relations
Return the placement to the month and whole chart.